Thunder
by Amanary
Summary: She was the Rain Woman. Gray would've never imagined how a storm could truly affect her.


**Since people seemed to like the last time I posted a translated story, here's another one I promised. Since English is not my first language, please forgive any mistake (and feel free to correct them.)**

_**Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima**_

* * *

**Thunder**

Juvia pulled the curtain aside and watched the darkness of the outside while Gray was in the shower. It was raining heavily, and the water drops hit the window so hard that it looked like they were going to break the glass any moment. Except for the blur of the rain, the only thing that Juvia could distinguish against the night landscape was tree branches swaying wildly in the wind.

She sighed. She had been excited for finally having another chance to go out on a job alone with Gray, and the rain that chased her so much throughout her life had resolved to appear to torment her again. Why couldn't she have a sunny day to enjoy with Gray, instead of that awful rain? Nobody liked the Rain Woman. She only made the weather depressing and pushed people away. Even Juvia's relationship with Bora was over because she always brought rain with her. And what she definitely didn't want was to Gray also be annoyed with her because of the rain—even though, this time, the fault wasn't even hers.

Things were definitely not going the way she expected. Juvia and Gray were sharing a hotel room, this was encouraging. But Juvia's hope upon arriving at the hotel to ask for a room was that the receptionist would say all rooms with single beds were occupied, so she and Gray would have to share a double bed and… Oh, she would almost faint just by thinking of it.

But _there were_ vacant rooms with single beds. Which meant they would sleep apart, much to Juvia's distaste. However, if it was any consolation, she could at least watch him sleeping.

Juvia pouted, and her attention was quickly diverted as she noticed a sudden flash. She had barely taken a step back from the window, knowing what was coming next, and the sound of the thunder echoed through the night, so high that it seemed to crack the sky in half, causing Juvia to shiver all over.

* * *

Gray left the bathroom, absently rubbing the towel on his wet hair, and sighed as he noticed the storm outside the window. "Still this annoying rain, huh?" He dropped the towel on one of the room's dresser and casted a questioning look to Juvia when he realized she hadn't said a thing.

She was sitting on her bed, already dressed in her baby-blue nightgown. Her back was against the headboard, and she had her legs bent close to her body, hiding her face between her knees.

"Juvia?" inquired Gray. She always responded to every little movement or word from him, so why was she ignoring him now? And worse, he realized, covering her ears with her hands? "Did something happen?"

But she said nothing yet again. She just stayed there, on the covers, curled up into a ball.

Gray was starting to get bothered when a flash, followed by a roar, filled the room. He saw Juvia's whole body shudder and she cringed even more. Even her toes were contracted.

He approached her hesitantly and touched her shoulder. "Juvia, are you… are you afraid of thunder?"

_This_ he would never have imagined. She, the feared Rain Woman, former Element Four from Phantom Lord… afraid of thunder? It was rather… _ironic_, to say the least.

Her body shook again, and Gray wondered if she was sobbing. That was the last thing he needed. He could deal with all kinds of craziness that she came up with, but seeing her crying? No, not at all.

What should he do? He was terrible at comforting people.

"Hey, Juvia. You don't need to be afraid," he said. He gazed at her, but she didn't give any sign she would leave that position. He couldn't even get the briefest glance of her face, given that she had buried it in her knees, her wavy hair falling around her shoulders. "You're not alone. I'm here with you."

Gray hoped his approach would work. Slowly, Juvia's head rose enough for her to peek at him through her blue strands. Her eyes looked frightened. "Gray-sama…?"

That was a progress. He smiled at her, trying to convey her safety. He stepped back and stretched out his arm as an invitation. "Come on, you don't need to sit there curled up like a frightened cat."

Her eyes shifted from his warm gaze to the hand extended toward her. Vacillating, she took one hand from her ear and reached his with her delicate fingers. Gray smiled, encouraging her to get out of bed, and she slid her foot across the covers until it touched the ground. She was standing on her leg when a new flash lit the room, and a split second later, the thunder was heard.

He barely had time to react. A split second, and she had thrown herself toward him. Her arms closed around Gray. Her body collided with his, and she buried her face in his chest. Before he even had a chance to realize, Juvia was hugging him with all her strength, her fingers clutching to the fabric of the back of his shirt.

Gray staggered back. "Juv—"

Another lighting burst in the sky. If it was still possible, Juvia's grasp around him grew stronger. He hesitated, and then wrapped one arm around her waist. "Hey. Calm down." Gray pulled a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's no big deal."

But her iron grip didn't diminish. Gray had no idea of what to do to calm down her fear. He didn't _want_ to see her like that. She was a strong woman, and that vulnerable image didn't suit her at all.

He looked out the window, at the storm that gave no respite. He sighed. Juvia wouldn't calm down until the storm passed. And how long would that take?

"Come here," he said. He carefully removed her arms from around his body and brought her to his bed, making her sit beside him. Juvia remained stiff the whole time, her arms reluctant and her legs barely moving to follow Gray. He placed himself with his back against the bed's headboard and held an arm protectively around her body. She was clinging to the front of his shirt, her face buried in his chest again.

"It'll soon be over," he said. He wrapped his other arm around her and rested his chin on top of her head, trying to make her feel safe.

At every thunder that roared in the sky, Juvia cringed entirely. Gray then tightened his arms around her body, reasserting his presence next to her. At one point, he noticed the smell of her hair: fresh, just washed, and soft against his face. Then he remembered that he hugged her while she was wearing only a cotton nightgown.

In other situations, Gray would be embarrassed right away. But that was not the case this time. He found himself surprisingly comfortable having Juvia in his arms, being responsible for keeping her safe and providing her comfort. And her body seemed… _right_ in his arms? He had no idea of what he was thinking about, he just knew it was kind of nice to have her with him, to feel her soft skin, the sweet aroma of her hair, her warm breath against his chest.

They stayed like that for quite some time. The storm was steadily going away, and Gray no longer felt Juvia shudder so violently against his body. Her grip on his shirt was loosening, her body relaxing more and more; however Gray kept his arms tightly around her. He was losing track of time; he didn't know if it was raining or not, and, at some point, his consciousness floated away and he ended up falling asleep.

* * *

CA-BRAM.

_Her body moved automatically. Her feet just led her out of bed towards the safest place she had next to her. Her arms closed around Gray. Her body collided with his, and she buried her face in his chest. Before she even had a chance to realize, Juvia was hugging him with all her strength, her fingers clutching to the fabric of the back of his shirt._

_Gray staggered back. "Juv—"_

CA-BRAM.

_Once again._

_The thunder echoed in her bones, and she instinctively closed her arms around him stronger. She felt such dread within herself… He was the only thing she had that could help taking her mind away from the panic._

_She felt his arm unexpectedly wrapping around her waist. "Hey. Calm down," his voice came softly to her ears. His fingers went through Juvia's blue hair, and Gray pulled a strand behind her ear. "It's no big deal."_

_She tried to focus on his touch, on the arm that encircled her body, on his body close to hers. It was Gray. The man she loved most in the world. She should be happy that they were so close together. Why did that irrational fear consume her so much?_

"_Come here." Gray grabbed her arms and removed them from around his body. She was trying to cooperate, but her body didn't seem to want to obey her orders. Still, Gray managed to bring Juvia to his bed. She grabbed the front of his shirt and kept her face glued to his chest. She couldn't let him go. She couldn't be alone while the thunders roared in the sky._

"_It'll soon be over," said Gray. And she felt his other arm wrapping around her, as well as his chin resting on top of her head._

_He was hugging her, Juvia would tell herself. She kept clung to that thought. Gray was her safe haven. At every thunder that burst, the fear devoured her. But then she remembered that he was there, protecting her with his strong arms. That she was not alone._

_She got drifted away by his smell, mingled with soap; she got drifted away by how good it was to feel his chest against her face, the rise and fall of his calm and rhythmic breathing. She paid attention to every square inch of her body that was in contact with him, apart from each other only by thin layers of clothes. His presence gradually brought her serenity. Gray was hugging her. Gray, whom she loved so much. Gray, to whom she would dedicate her entire life._

_He had taken the rain away, and now he was taking the fear too._

* * *

He woke up feeling his body sore. One of his arms was numb.

He should move, he thought.

Something tickled his cheek, and he opened his eyes languidly. First, he noticed it was already bright inside the room. Then he noticed the blue hair. He lifted his face from the top of Juvia's head and watched her.

Her fingers were no longer clung to his shirt. Her hands rested near her body, and all the tension that dominated her muscles had left her. Her face was not buried in his chest; but, instead, she slept with her head resting on his numb arm. Her face was calm. She seemed at peace. Maybe even happy.

He smiled. He never had imagined himself saying this, but he really enjoyed having her in his arms.

Perhaps, he thought, he didn't need that much to shift position.

* * *

**I've realized I really like to write under Gray's POV.**

**So, what do you think? Was it too cheesy? Was the parallel between Juvia's and Gray's POVs good? Were the characters faithful to the original? ****Leave a review with your opinion. ;)**

**~Amanary**


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